“American Idol,” 4/7

Danny Gokey was first, singing “Stand by Me.” I’m not a big Danny Gokey fan, as we all know. To me, he did what he always does – starts out kinda nice, then shouts the rest.

Randy said: He didn’t like the arrangement but Danny made him like it.

Kara said: He killed it. He did it his own way and he did it well.

Paula said: She liked his performance.

Simon said: The beginning was good, the middle was lazy, the end was terrific – overall, great.

Kris Allen sang Don Henley’s “All She Wants to Do is Dance” with his guitar. Um, I liked it last night…can’t remember a thing about it today.

Kara said: It felt like jazz-funk homework, and he lost the song’s youthful feel.

Paula said: Kris is one of the show’s most likeable contestants.

Simon said: It was indulgent and boring and he came over as a guitarist who wants to sing.

Randy said: It was indulgent and he was too busy listening to the arrangement to listen to Kris’ vocals.

Lil Rounds (and we learned last night her first name really is “Lil”) performed Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” I LOVE that song, and Lil was alright, but it wasn’t anything special.

Paula said: She’s a brilliant vocalist but needs to be original.

Simon said: They’re not looking for a second or third rate Tina Turner – it was a copycat performance. She has to become original.

Randy said: She’s not listening to the judges when they tell her she needs to be original.

Kara said: It’s about making the leap between being a singer and being an artist.

Anoop Desai sang “True Colors.” Very much like Kris, I liked it last night, but I can’t remember a thing about it today.

Randy said: Anoop can actually sing.

Kara said: He controlled the song and didn’t let the song control him.

Paula said: “You did show us your true colors.”

Simon said: He’s like a singing yo-yo – some weeks he’s good, some week he’s not. It wasn’t fantastic but he made it his own.

Scott MacIntyre sang “The Search is Over” – with his guitar! And that’s all I remember about this one either…

Kara said; She wouldn’t have picked this song for him; there were both good and bad moments.

Paula said: She liked the guitar. “Bravo.”

Simon said: Go back to the piano b/c that’s where he’s comfortable. The song was horrible.

Randy said: It was OK.

Allison Iraheta sang “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” I thought she did a really great job with it, even though its content is pretty adult.

Paula said: She brought a tenderness to the song.

Simon said: It was very good but he’s not sure about her personality.

Randy said: She reminds him of Kelly Clarkson. One of the best of the night.

Kara said: She made the adult content of the song feel believable.

Matt “Sheena’s Mama’s Favorite” Giraud sang “Part Time Lovers,” and it was a really cool arrangement. I thought he made the song feel young.

Randy said: It was one of the best of the night.

Kara said: It was incredible.

Paula said: “Two words: standing O.”

Simon said: A million times better than last week – well done.

Adam Lambert finished the show with his cover of “Mad World.” It was originally done by Tears for Fears, but Lambert’s version was more like the one featured in the film “Donnie Darko.” MTV has a story on the song here.

By the time Adam sang, the show was running over by five minutes, so only Simon gave his critique. He basically said, “Word are unnecessary” and gave Adam a standing ovation.